A progressive jackpot game is a game that has a jackpot that increases in value for every progressive wager made until a predefined winning event occurs. Progressive jackpots have been incorporated in electronic and mechanical gaming devices (e.g., slot machines) and table games. The predefined winning event or events vary based on the game played, for example, the top hand (e.g., a royal flush) in CARIBBEAN STUD® Poker or FORTUNE PAI GOW POKER®, matching 15 out of 15 numbers in video Keno, or lining up the winning combination (e.g., five special symbols) on the same payline of a slot machine. Winning events may pay a fixed amount (i.e., “fixed pay winning event”), odds payouts (multiples of the amount wagered), or pay a percentage of the progressive jackpot (i.e., “progressive jackpot winning event”) up to and including the entire value of the jackpot and combinations thereof. Each game may have multiple winning events. After a progressive jackpot winning event, the progressive jackpot may be funded or “seeded” with a set amount of money (e.g., $10,000) to encourage play. Progressive jackpot gaming of the type discussed above is generally known as discussed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,041, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Although the odds of winning a progressive jackpot payout are typically very low, progressive wagers attract player interest because the payout amounts are usually relatively high. Player interest typically increases as the jackpot increases. However, when the jackpot value is low, for example, after a jackpot hits, player interest typically decreases. In traditional progressive jackpot games, the progressive contribution rate, that is, the amount of money added to the jackpot by the house for each wager event, is the same for all wagers. To encourage play when the jackpot value is low, game operators (e.g., a casino or a multi-casino entity) may set the progressive contribution rate to a higher value. However, the higher contribution rate is not needed when the jackpot value is high.